Where does the name "Cosmos Mariner" come from?
When our founder, Michael Jordan, moved to Savannah, GA in 1997, one of the first things he did was to read John Berendt's best-selling book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." The book, which was based on actual events and people, was very popular at the time and remains so today.
In chapter two, Berendt describes a visit to beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery with an elderly Savannahian he refers to as "Miss Harty." The two visit the grave of Savannah-born poet Conrad Aiken, leading to the following exchange:
In chapter two, Berendt describes a visit to beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery with an elderly Savannahian he refers to as "Miss Harty." The two visit the grave of Savannah-born poet Conrad Aiken, leading to the following exchange:
Miss Harty raised her goblet and touched it to mine. A pair of mockingbirds conversed somewhere in the trees. A shrimp boat passed at slow speed.
"Aiken loved to come here and watch the ships go by," she said. "One afternoon, he saw one with the name Cosmos Mariner painted on the bow. That delighted him. The word 'cosmos'' appears often in his poetry, you know. That evening he went home and looked for mention of the Cosmos Mariner in the shipping news. There it was, in tiny type on the list of ships in port. The name was followed by the comment 'Destination Unknown.' That pleased him even more.
"Where is Aiken buried?" I asked. There were no other gravestones in the enclosure.
"Oh, he's here," she said. "In fact, we are very much his personal guests at the moment. It was Aiken's wish that people should come to this beautiful place after he died and drink martinis and watch the ships just as he did. He left a gracious invitation to that effect. He had his gravestone built in the shape of a bench."
An involuntary reflex propelled me to my feet. Miss Harty laughed, and then she too stood up. Aiken's name was inscribed on the bench, along with the words COSMOS MARINER, DESTINATION UNKNOWN.
"Aiken loved to come here and watch the ships go by," she said. "One afternoon, he saw one with the name Cosmos Mariner painted on the bow. That delighted him. The word 'cosmos'' appears often in his poetry, you know. That evening he went home and looked for mention of the Cosmos Mariner in the shipping news. There it was, in tiny type on the list of ships in port. The name was followed by the comment 'Destination Unknown.' That pleased him even more.
"Where is Aiken buried?" I asked. There were no other gravestones in the enclosure.
"Oh, he's here," she said. "In fact, we are very much his personal guests at the moment. It was Aiken's wish that people should come to this beautiful place after he died and drink martinis and watch the ships just as he did. He left a gracious invitation to that effect. He had his gravestone built in the shape of a bench."
An involuntary reflex propelled me to my feet. Miss Harty laughed, and then she too stood up. Aiken's name was inscribed on the bench, along with the words COSMOS MARINER, DESTINATION UNKNOWN.